Hogwart's Child
by marietsy2
Summary: A child is born that is Heir to Hogwarts. What happens when Dumbledore refuses to bring the child to Hogwarts? Hogwarts closes up and refuses to open until Dumbledore brings the child to Hogwarts. Will Dumbledore bring the child or will he refuse? What ha


**Disclaimer: **I do not nor will I ever own the Harry Potter story, characters, villains, heroes and creatures. I also sadly do not make any money off this story. Trust me; my bank account cannot lie about that.

**A/N: **I would like to dedicate this story to Garden Viper. It was Garden Viper who gave me the idea for this story.

**Summary: **A child is born that is Heir to Hogwarts. What happens when Dumbledore refuses to bring him to Hogwarts? Hogwarts closes up and refuses to open until Dumbledore brings the child to Hogwarts. Will Dumbledore bring the child or will he refuse? What happens when the Wizarding World finally finds out who the child is? Will they still respect Dumbledore when they realize the extent of Dumbledore's manipulations?

**Warnings:** AU, Sentient Hogwarts, Manipulative Dumbledore, Child Harry.  
**Rating:** PG

O-------o-------o-------O

**HOGWART'S CHILD**

By Marietsy

O-------o-------o-------O

**CHAPTER ONE**

_The night was quiet and slightly chilly. She watched over her children, making sure that they were secure in their beds. She checked on the house-elves to see how they were doing, but they were busy cleaning and cooking. She smiled gently as they hummed cheerfully as they worked. She looked out farther and watched as the groundskeeper took care of a baby unicorn he had found injured in the forest._

_She chuckled silently as the groundskeeper's bushy face broke into a smile as the unicorn nuzzled up to him. She had always been fond of him. He had a soft heart and a courage that matched the size of his large body. With a soft sigh, she looked inward once more and went to check on her favorite children. She'd had many children over the years, but there were few that she would consider her favorite._

_This group of young adults had to be her favorite to date. She chuckled as she saw the three of them sneaking into the kitchen to have a late night snack. They were hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, but she could still see them. Sirius Black was leading them and talking most excitedly about an upcoming prank. She sighed with exasperation as she realized that he was once again going to prank Severus Snape once again. While not one of her favorite children, she had a soft place in her heart for the snarky Slytherin. If she could have, she would've shaken her head._

O-------o-------o-------O

"Padfoot, would you be quiet!" Remus Lupin hissed. "Do you want Filch to find us?"

"Come on Moony, the map told us that he was on the opposite side of the castle. In fact, there is no one around here at all," Sirius said, annoyed.

Remus sighed sheepishly. "Sorry, Padfoot. It's just that I'm used to keeping you out of trouble. In fact, I have a feeling I'll be doing that for the rest of my life," he mused thoughtfully.

Sirius looked at him, outraged, while the messy haired young man next to him laughed. "You know Moony, I think you might be right," James Potter commented, amusement shining from his eyes.

"Oi Prongs, are you trying to say that I'm always getting into trouble?" Sirius asked, outraged.

Remus and James laughed and replied, "Yes."

Sirius huffed. "Fine, I know when I'm not wanted." With that, he stomped off towards the kitchen.

Remus and James looked at each other in amusement. "Wonder how long it'll be before he realizes he's going the wrong way," Remus mused with a grin.

"I give it a few minutes. Shall we wait?" James asked.

Remus laughed and they stood there, waiting for their huffy friend. Sure enough, three minutes later, Sirius came walking back down the corridor, a sheepish look on his face. Remus and James began to laugh as Sirius just glared at them in mock anger.

"Yeah, yeah…laugh it up," Sirius said while rolling his eyes.

James walked over to Sirius and put his arm around his friend's shoulder. "Come on, Padfoot. Let's go find some food."

The three young men began their walk down the hallway. Once they reached the kitchen, they tickled the pear on the picture and walked in.

"Masters Black, Lupin and Potter, how may we help you?" an over-excited house-elf asked.

"We would like some food, Cally," James requested.

"Of course, sirs," Cally squeaked eagerly.

The three men sat at the table. Sirius stretched and yawned widely. "Man, I really need to get some sleep. I'm still bushed from the ball we had yesterday. Can you believe that we leave tomorrow? I didn't ever think that I would get this far," he commented thoughtfully.

"I know what you mean. I didn't so either. I'm just glad that Dumbledore gave me the opportunity to go to school. Without his help, I don't think I could have ever done it," Remus replied seriously.

"Oi! Hello, we helped too, you know," Sirius said indignantly.

Remus smiled softly. "I know you did. I didn't think that when I started Hogwarts that I was going to wind up with such good friends. You guys are the best," he said.

Sirius and James smiled at their friend. "We know," Sirius replied with a mischievous grin.

James rolled his eyes while Remus snorted in amusement. "And so modest too," Remus taunted, his eyes filled with mirth.

Sirius just smiled at him smugly, and watched in delight as Cally walked over with their food. She sat it down and the table and smiled at them.

"You call Cally when you need something," she commanded sternly.

Sirius already had his mouth filled with food, but he nodded his thanks. "We will, Cally. Thank you," Remus replied with a gentle smile. She nodded happily and walked away.

They sat there and ate their food while they made small talk. Finally full and satisfied, they sat back in their chairs and sighed. They basked in the relative quiet of the kitchen.

"I have something I need to tell you two," James said quietly.

Remus and Sirius looked at their best friend and noticed the slightly nervous expression on his face.

Cocking his head, Sirius asked, "What is it? Are you all right?"

"Yes, it…well…Lily and I…she…crap," James stammered nervously.

Sirius's eyes widened and he blurted out, "God, don't tell me Lily's pregnant. Prongs, I thought I gave you the Talk."

Remus sighed, irritated as James began to splutter. He reached up and smacked Sirius on the back of the head. "Padfoot, you idiot, that's not what he was going to say," Remus snapped, then paused. He looked at James seriously, "You're not are you?" he asked.

"NO! Merlin, you two always think the worst of me," James said, irritated.

Remus and Sirius laughed. "Yeah, but then we have reason to," the animagus quipped.

James gave them a sharp look before replying, "Lily and I are engaged. We're getting married in a few months. I would like you two to be my witnesses. Wormtail too, if I can ever find the man."

Remus and Sirius looked at him in shock for a moment when Sirius blurted out, "Are you sure she isn't pregnant?"

Remus and James groaned and Sirius just looked at them, his expression confused.

O-------o-------o-------O

_She heard the news and could feel the joy well up within her. One of her favorite children was marrying her other favorite child. She was so happy. The bloodlines were mixing again. There would be an Heir. She would finally have an Heir. With James Potter's Gryffindor and Hufflepuff blood mixing with Lily's Slytherin and Ravenclaw blood, Hogwarts would finally have an Heir; someone who would be able to fully access the powers of the castle, someone who could finally unlock the secrets that have been hidden for so long. She'd had hopes for Tom Riddle, but sadly, that young man could never hear her, could never feel her magic._

_Once James Potter and Lily Evans entered the castle, she knew that the possibility that she could have an Heir was there. Lily Evans was thought to be a Muggleborn, but She knew that Lily was from a long line of Squibs that dated back several hundred years. She had hoped that James and Lily would get together. She knew there was an attraction. She had seen it years ago, but they both fought it until they couldn't fight it any longer. Once they began to date in their sixth year, she had been ecstatic. Now, they were getting married. Hogwart's walls began to hum in joy._

O-------o-------o-------O

James felt a buzz throughout his body and looked around in confusion. He noticed the joyful looks on the house-elves face and the excited happy laughter that filled the kitchen.

Sirius and Remus looked at the house-elves, their expressions confusion. While the strange creatures were always happy and willing to help, the boys had never to seen them this joyful, this excited. They looked at James to ask his opinion when they noticed that he was looking around the room, his face confused.

"Prongs, are you all right?" Sirius asked.

James looked over at them absently and nodded his head. He continued to look around the kitchen as the buzzing throughout his body got more intense. It wasn't painful. In fact, it felt rather nice, but it was still unusual. He had always felt a low-grade buzzing throughout his body, ever since he first stepped into Hogwarts. Now, though, it was just so intense, so…joyful.

"Hey Prongs, what's going? You look at little out of it. Do you know what's going on with the house-elves?" Sirius asked. James ignored them, his mind on the buzzing he felt in his body.

"Prongs, hey," Remus said as he reached over and smacked James on the arm.

James started and looked over them in confusion. "Huh? What?" he asked.

"What's going on? You're out of it and the house-elves are acting odd," Remus explained.

"You can't feel that?" James asked, his expression bewildered.

Remus and Sirius gave each other a look, and looked over at James, confused. "Feel what?"

"That buzzing, it's very intense and quite joyful," James answered absently.

"I don't feel a buzzing. Do you, Moony?" Sirius asked his friend.

Remus shook his head and watched as James' expression became distracted again. Remus looked over at the joyful house-elves and studied them thoughtfully. He looked over at James, then back at the house-elves before his face brightened.

"Cally, could you come over here please?" Remus called out.

The tiny house-elf came over to table. "How can Cally help you?" she asked eagerly.

"I just have a question for you. What's going on with you and the other house-elves?" he questioned, his face serious.

Cally gave him a joyful smile. "Hogwarts is happy and joyful," she answered joyfully.

"Hogwarts?" Sirius asked. Remus looked confused and James just looked at Cally, his expression puzzled.

Cally nodded her head eagerly. "Yes, Hogwarts is quite happy. She is feeling so much joy. The castle is humming with it. Can't you feel it? All of the house-elves, portraits and the ghosts can feel it," she explained.

Remus and Sirius shook their heads, but Remus suddenly looked over at James thoughtfully.

James frowned. "So, the sudden intense feeling I felt just now was because Hogwarts is happy?" he asked Cally.

Her face brightened with joy and she nodded happily. "Yes. It is good that you can finally feel her. She will be happy by this," Cally chirped cheerfully.

James blinked a moment. "Are you telling me that Hogwarts is alive?" he asked with disbelief.

Cally blinked at his tone and nodded her head slowly. "Yes, Hogwarts has always been alive. No one can hear her anymore, except maybe the Headmaster, but even he cannot hear her fully. She needs someone with the Founder's blood to hear her or feel her," she explained.

James's face suddenly brightened with understanding. He knew that he was Godric Gryffindor's Heir. That would explain why he always felt the buzz while he was in Hogwarts. He now knew why the castle always felt like home. He never knew that she was alive though.

James groaned, annoyed. Why is it that he finds this out now that he was going to be leaving Hogwarts tomorrow? He would've loved to have had the opportunity to explore this piece of information.

"What is it, James?" Remus asked.

James shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied.

"Are you sure?" Remus questioned skeptically.

James nodded. "It's one of those Family Secrets. I just realized something that had to do with that."

"Ah," Remus murmured, his face filled with understanding. Sirius, Remus and Peter all knew that there were Family Secrets, as James had dubbed it, that he couldn't share with anyone, not even the Marauders. The werewolf wondered if Lily would find out James' secret once she married him. Just thinking of those two as being married was mind boggling. Not because he thought they were wrong for each other, but because it just hit him that they were now responsible adults that were going to have leave Hogwarts, and become a productive citizen of the Wizarding World.

"We're adults now in the eyes of the Wizarding World," Remus intoned mournfully.

"Yeah, so?" Sirius asked, confused.

"We're going to have to be respectable now. Get a job, buy a house, get married, have kids. We'll have to have…responsibility," Remus replied with an exaggerated sigh.

James and Sirius looked at him for a moment before they broke into laughter. Remus watched as the two laughed before joining in. They finally quieted and James reached over and squeezed Remus on the arm. "Don't worry, if you get too stressed, hang around with Padfoot. He'll never be responsible," he mocked cheerfully.

"Oi!" Sirius exclaimed, outraged. Remus started to laugh again.

James looked at his wizarding watch and stood up from the table. "We need to go to bed now. It's getting late and we have to be up bright and early tomorrow, or should I say this morning. Tomorrow is our last day here," James sighed sadly.

Remus and Sirius grew silent and thoughtful. "It may be the end of our days at Hogwarts, but it won't be the end of our friendship. It won't be the end of the Marauders. We'll always be friends. Nothing will ever tear us apart. We would die for each other," Sirius said softly, serious for once. "Marauders til the end."

"Marauders til the end," James repeated.

"Marauders til the end," Remus repeated as well.

They kitchen was quiet for a brief moment. The moment felt almost magical. They basked in the sense of friendship and camaraderie before Sirius stood up and said, "Now, it's time for bed. Let us go forth and courageously make our trip back to the common room. I say that we be daring and walk back without the Invisibility cloak or the Marauder's map. After all, what can they do if we're caught? Expel us? Give us detention and take points? We've graduated and we leave tomorrow."

Remus and James agreed with a laugh. Sirius folded up the cloak and gave it back to James. He folded up the Marauders map and put it in his pocket. Remus was looking at the map thoughtfully. "Do you think that Filch will ever realize what he found when he took Peter's map from us?"

Sirius snorted with amusement. "Please, if it doesn't have to do with his cat, Mrs. Norris, then he doesn't have a thought in his head. Even if he did, he can't have known that we had made four maps, one for each of us."

"True. I just hate to think that the map is sitting in his office, not being used properly. We worked hard on those maps," Remus said with a frown.

"Don't worry, Moony. I have a feeling that the map will come in hand many years down the road," James replied thoughtfully.

"Why do you say that?" Remus asked curiously.

James shrugged. "Not sure. It's just a feeling. Come on, let's go."

The three young men walked out of the kitchen, and began their trek back up to the Gryffindor Common room.

"Hey, you never did say if you would be witnesses at my wedding," James suddenly commented.

Remus and Sirius looked at him in astonishment. "Of course we'll be your witnesses. Who else would you ask? Snape?" Sirius asked.

Remus sighed, exasperated. "You know, Snape isn't all that bad."

That comment set off an argument that lasted until they got to the common room. They got ready for bed. They said their goodnights and got into their beds. They fell asleep, looking forward to their future.

O-------o-------o-------O

_She watched as they fell asleep. She would miss her favorite boys. The Marauders, as they called themselves, made the last seven years joyful. She was saddened to know that one of the Marauders wasn't as he seemed. She would've loved to have been able to tell James, but no matter how hard she tried, he still couldn't hear her. She just hoped that it wouldn't cause trouble in the future._

_She decided it was time to leave her boys and check on Lily. She looked into the girl's dorm and saw that the red head was asleep in her bed. Lily has a small content smile on her face. Lily turned over and sighed in her sleep. She smiled as she heard "James" coming from Lily's mouth. This girl, no woman, was one of her favorite children. She had watched as Lily stood up to the Slytherins about her Muggleborn status. She would have loved to let them know that Lily had more right to be in this school than they did. She had watched as the young girl grew and got closer to the Marauders. She watched when Lily would secretly meet with Severus Snape. She had made sure to hide them the best she could. She agreed with their secret friendship. Severus was a different boy when he was with Lily. _

_She made the magic in the room pulsate and gently caressed the young woman's hair. She would miss her children, but she knew that their children would be coming here when it was time. She only had to wait a handful more years before the true Heir of Hogwarts arrived. She had waited this long, she could wait a little longer_

_The next day, she watched as the children left for the summer. She was sad to see them go, but knew they would be back in the fall. She cried silent tears as her children left. The Headmaster could feel her sadness through their limited bond, but he couldn't understand why she was so sad._

_Over the years, she watched as children came and went. Her favorite children came to visit the Headmaster several times through the years. She watched in delight as James and Lily got married at Hogwarts several months after they had left. She made sure that the Great Hall was at its best. The magic that pulsated that day struck awe in most of the Witches and Wizards that attended the wedding. She overheard James saying Hogwarts must approve of their marriage, and she couldn't help but agree with him. She was very happy to see them married._

_The days following the wedding, she watched as Dumbledore realized there was something unusual about the castle and the Potters. She watched as he studied the linage of both James and Lily. She didn't like his obsessive attitude._

O-------o-------o-------O

Dumbledore sat stunned at what he had just read. Lily Potter wasn't a Muggleborn at all. She was from a long line of squibs. She also had the blood of Ravenclaw and Slytherin flowing through her veins. He sat back in his chair and frowned. If James and she had a child, then that child would be the Heir of Hogwarts.

He got up from his chair and walked over to the bookshelf. He pulled out a book,

_Prophesies Through The Ages_ and returned to his desk. Setting the book down, he opened it and began to skim through the pages. He vaguely remembered something about a prophecy for the Heir of Hogwarts. Shuffling through the pages, he finally found what he was looking for.

_Born of the blood of the Founders,_

_Hogwarts will claim her child._

_Through the child, shall she be unlocked,_

_the secrets and the powers shall belong to the child._

_With the powers and the secrets, the child shall bring peace._

_Overthrowing the Leader of the Phoenix,_

_the one who hides his manipulations._

_Through the scar, shall the child know_

_the truth that was hidden._

_The child will reveal all to the world,_

_So that the truth may finally be known._

_Beware those who try to harm the child,_

_As Hogwarts protects her own._

Dumbledore hissed in anger. His plans would be destroyed if this child came to be. He bit his lip and pondered what to do.

"I could kill one of the Potters. That would stop the child from coming into being," he said thoughtfully. He sighed quietly and said, "No, I can't do that. I need the child for the other prophecy. I will keep the Potters and their child away from Hogwarts as much as I can. I will sway the child to my way of thinking, so that when Hogwarts finally claims the child, I will have say in how he uses his newfound power. I just need to figure out how to do it."

He continued to research and plan throughout the night.

O-------o-------o-------O

_Hogwarts watched in anger as the Headmaster made plans for her child. How dare he, she fumed. He would harm my child to keep his power. I shall not let that happen._

_"Fawkes," she whispered into the phoenix's mind._

_"Yes, My Lady?" he responded._

_"The Headmaster may try to harm my future Heir. I want you to watch over James and Lily. If something happens, I want you to protect them the best that you can. I refuse to let the Headmaster interfere in the prophecy."_

_"Yes, My Lady. I am saddened to see the power go to his head. He has been a good companion over the years, but lately, he has become too controlling. This war with Tom Riddle has changed him. I didn't want to believe that he had changed," Fawkes said sadly as he watched the Headmaster plan._

_"Neither did I. We shall have to watch him further. Have the house-elves watch him as well. The Hat will watch when we cannot. I can't believe he was finally right about something," she grumbled._

_Fawkes laughed, amused. "Yes, he never did like Albus, did he?"_

_"I just know he's going to rub it in later," Hogwarts said whined._

_Fawkes continued to laugh._

_After that night, Dumbledore was watched closely by the inhabitants of Hogwarts and Hogwarts herself. Over the months, she watched as Dumbledore became increasingly erratic. His manipulations for control and power become more frequent. She frowned as she saw him coerce Severus Snape into spying for him. The boy had come to Dumbledore for help, but Dumbledore blackmailed him with Azkaban if he didn't help spy on Voldemort._

_July 31, 1980 came and Hogwarts was startled out of her thoughts by a surge of power flowing through her walls. She was overcome with joy as she realized that her Heir had finally been born. She hadn't even known that Lily was pregnant. Dumbledore had been true to his word and he kept James and Lily away from Hogwarts. She shared the news with the rest of castle inhabitants that could hear her. The teachers that stayed at the castle couldn't understand the joy of the house-elves. Only one man understood and he wasn't happy._

_Several months later, the Potters came by to see Dumbledore and McGonagall. Dumbledore had fortunately been called away to the Ministry, or else he wouldn't have allowed them to stay there for any period of time. Hogwarts felt her Heir when the Potters walked into the castle. The castle began to hum in joy and the inhabitants looked around curiously. The students were in awe as the castle became brighter, and the atmosphere became more cheerful. The house-elves and the ghosts were excited by the thought of finally seeing the Heir._

_She watched as the Potters made their way to Minerva's room. She couldn't see her Heir as he was covered up with a thick robe. It was chilly outside and the Potters wanted to make sure that he was nice and warm. Lily told Minerva that Harry was tired and needed a place to sleep, so Minerva allowed Lily to place him in her bed. They closed the bedroom door and left the child sleeping on the bed. Hogwarts watched as the innocent child slept on in contentment. The little boy, Harry, had his father's messy hair. He was so cute. She stayed there and watched over him._

_Hogwarts noticed that Harry began to move. He was waking up. His little face scrunched up as if he was going to begin crying. He opened his eyes and looked around blearily. Hogwarts noticed that he had his mother's green eyes. He was a beautiful baby. He whimpered a couple of times and kicked his legs in discontent._

_Hogwarts concentrated on her magic. If anyone else had been in the room, they would've noticed a white figure in the shape of a woman appear in the room. Hogwarts walked over to the child and leaned down. She caressed his face carefully, her magic skimming along his body, tickling him. Harry looked up at her and grinned widely. He raised his arms and waved them around, babbling in baby talk._

_"Welcome to Hogwarts, Harry. It's nice to finally meet my Heir. I have great plans for you, my dear child. My power and secrets shall be yours when the time is right. Even now, I can feel the power around me grow. When you are ready, you shall step forth and claim me and all that I hold. What was once the Founders shall be theirs again. I will have Fawkes watch over you, as he will become your familiar when it is time. It is destined. He was once Godric Gryffindor's familiar and he shall be yours," she said._

_Harry gurgled in glee and babbled some more. He watched in awe as Hogwarts glowed brighter, a bond forming between the two. Hogwarts laughed gently as Harry began giggling. Harry would be able to sense Hogwarts now, as she could sense him. The first step of him claiming his inheritance had begun._

_"Grow strong, young one. Watch out for those who will use you in their own plans of control and power. I will try to help you in any way that I can. Until we meet again, my young Heir," she said softly and disappeared._

_Young Harry began to cry when the glowing woman disappeared. He liked her. She felt nice and she made him laugh. He wanted her back. He wailed in sadness, not realizing that his mother and father came into the room. He just wanted his new friend back._

_Hogwarts watched as James and Lily tried to calm Harry down. Nothing would console him. His parents were confused as to why Harry continued to cry._

_"Be calm, young one. I am here with you. I'll always be with you," she whispered into his mind, sending a pulse of affection down the bond._

_Harry suddenly shut up and looked around the room. He began to gurgle happily, and he clapped in glee as he felt his new friend. He sighed in contentment, and laid his head against his confused mother's chest. He mumbled a few times and fell back to sleep._

_After that day, she never saw her Heir again. The Potters had gone into hiding. They needed to hide because Voldemort was after them. She watched as Dumbledore made plans for her Heir. She didn't agree with the idea of raising her Heir to be a warrior for his war with Voldemort._

_On Halloween, months after she had last seen her Heir, she felt a burst of fear through their bond. She was suddenly very afraid. She didn't know what was going on. She sent her magic through the bond in hopes of helping the child and felt a flash of Dark Magic. The wards around the castle trembled as they were infused with Dark Magic. Hogwarts concentrated and reversed the flow of the Dark Magic. She didn't know where it came from, and she was very afraid for her Heir._

_"FAWKES!" she yelled. "Go find Harry and check on him. There was a burst of Dark Magic through our bond. Protect him!" she demanded._

_"On my way, My Lady," he trilled out and flashed away._

_An hour later, Fawkes flashed back and said, "My Lady, it's bad. The James and Lily were killed by Voldemort. From what I can tell, Voldemort tried to kill Harry with the Killing curse, but your magic protected him. The bond saved his life."_

_Hogwarts mourned the death of Lily and James, but she was glad that her Heir had survived. "What is being done with him?"_

_"I'm not sure. Hagrid was there and so was Sirius Black. Hagrid was going to bring Harry to Dumbledore, but I'm not sure when," Fawkes replied._

_"Let's see what Dumbledore is up to," she said. She found Dumbledore in his office, talking to Hagrid. The half-giant was crying and she could barely understand him. _

O-------o-------o-------O

"Headmaster, they're dead. The Potters are dead. Young 'arry is the only one to survive. I think he killed You Know Who. There's a body in the house. The little tyke is injured on the forehead. I need to bring him back to the castle," Hagrid explained tearfully.

"NO!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "It's not safe here. There are supporters of Voldemort in this school. I will send Poppy to you and let her check Harry over. I'll be there as soon as I can," the old wizard said kindly.

Hagrid sniffed and nodded. "All right, I'll be waiting."

Hagrid's head disappeared and Dumbledore sat back in his chair. He had been able to keep the Potters away from the castle except for that one time. Nothing seemed to change for Harry or the castle, so he figured that Harry was too young to unlock the secrets of Hogwarts.

He knew that Peter was the secret keeper to the Potters. He assumed that Sirius would find out and try to kill his former friend. If things worked out, maybe he could take care of Sirius as well. He could take over the Guardianship of the child, and send him to his Muggle relatives. He knew that they didn't approve of magic. Lily had made it clear that she never wanted Harry to ever be sent there if something happened to her or James.

"Maybe if I'm lucky, Peter will take care of Sirius. He could kill him off and I wouldn't have anyone to contest me for Harry's guardianship. If Harry is neglected in the Muggle's home, then he'll be all the more appreciative when I rescue him in ten years. He'll see me as his rescuer and hero. I could mould him however I want. I shall have to see," he said aloud. He got up from his desk and walked out of his office. He was on his way to the Infirmary to inform Poppy of the night's events.

O-------o-------o-------O

_Hogwarts was livid. How dare Dumbledore try to take her Heir! That he would allow that child to be neglected just so that he could control him later was barbaric. She refused to let that happen. She called the house-elves, Fawkes, and the ghosts to the Room of Requirement. She told the Hat to watch the Headmaster and record anything that would be of value. She had a plan and it was time to get rid of Dumbledore. She could no longer afford having him at her school._

O-------o-------o-------O

Dumbledore walked back into his office a few minutes later. He was sitting at his desk and glanced up when the door flew open. Snape rushed in. "He did it. Harry Potter killed the Dark Lord," Snape said with a gasp.

Dumbledore looked at him seriously. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, my Dark Mark has faded," Snape explained as he pulled his sleeve up.

"Faded you say? It's not gone?" Dumbledore asked.

Snape shook his head and said, "No, just faded. Why?"

Dumbledore sighed and replied, "That simply means that Voldemort's body is gone, but not his soul. If his soul had been killed as well, the Dark Mark would've completely disappeared."

Snape wilted and fell into the chair. "Not gone? So the death of the Potters, the death of Lily, was for nothing? Why didn't you do something to help them? I told you that Pettigrew was a Death Eater. I told you that the Dark Lord planned on killing them tonight. Where were you?" Snape snarled.

Dumbledore leaned forward and glared at him. "Remember Snape, I'm all that's keeping your arse out of Azkaban. Question me again and I shall turn you over to the Aurors. I have my reasons for everything," he said coldly.

Snape sat there stiffly before reluctantly nodding. He never realized that the Headmaster was this coldhearted. He had warned him of the plan to kill the Potters, but the Headmaster did nothing. Why? Why was the Potters death do important? What about the child? The killer of the Dark Lord? Would Lily's child be safe from retaliation?

"If you will excuse me Headmaster, I need to go rest," Snape said coldly.

"Of course Severus, but remember if certain things were to get out, it wouldn't look good for you. No one but me knows that you were spying. Step out of line and you shall suffer for it," Dumbledore informed him.

Snape gave him a stiff nod and left the office. Dumbledore wasn't concerned about Snape betraying him. Nobody would believe a Death Eater.

The fireplace flared up and Arthur Weasley's face appeared. "Albus," he called out urgently.

"Yes, Arthur? What is it?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sirius Black was captured for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and several Muggles. Witnesses say that Peter yelled something about him being responsible with the Potters death before he was killed. Is this true? Was Sirius the Potter's Secret Keeper?" Arthur asked.

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid he was. He killed Peter? What about Remus? Is he still alive?" he asked.

"As far as I know he is. He may have been next for all I know. You need to protect young Potter. Who knows who else may be after Harry," Arthur said firmly.

"Don't worry yourself, Arthur. Measures are being taken to protect young Harry."

Arthur sighed with relief. "That's good. Well, I have to go. I just wanted to let you know that latest. Bad business this is. I just can't believe it."

Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Yes, I agree. I never would've thought Sirius was a Death Eater. Keep me posted," the old stated.

"I will," Arthur said goodbye, and his head disappeared from the fireplace.

Dumbledore sat there a moment then began to chuckle. "This is wonderful. With the real Secret Keeper dead and Sirius captured, there is nothing to stop me from taking Guardianship of Harry. The power of Hogwarts shall be mine! It's time to take care of Harry Potter." Dumbledore got up and went to look for Minerva.

The Hat watched as the Headmaster left the room. He sighed heavily and said, "Things are not good. I shall have to let Her know of what happened. This is indeed bad business."

O-------o-------o-------O

_The Hat relayed the conversation he heard in the Headmaster's office. Hogwarts was livid. If Dumbledore wasn't going to bring her Heir to her then it was time to close the school. She decided that she wouldn't let anyone in or out until she had her Heir._

_"Cally," she called out to the Head House-elf._

_"Yes, My Lady?" she asked._

_"I have job for you and the house-elves," she said. She told her what to do and watched as Cally and the house-elves gleefully left to do their job._

_She looked at the ghosts that were surrounding her. "It's time to lock up the towers. I know there are still children here, so don't harm them. I want the Wizarding World to understand how serious my demands will be. Lock up the castle. I think its time for the Founders to come out of hiding. Dumbledore will regret refusing me my Heir," she said angrily._

_If Dumbledore wanted a war, then he would get it. She wasn't the most powerful magical item or being without a reason. She knew all the secrets that happened in this school. The walls were her ears. She had blackmail material like you wouldn't believe._

_"I will have my Heir Dumbledore, or you shall regret ever interfering in a prophecy," she hissed angrily._


End file.
